England squad LIVE: Anthony Gordon called up as Kalvin Phillips dropped before Euro 2024

Southgate revealed Arsenal defender Ben White would have been in the 25-man squad but has made himself unavailable for England selection.

“Clearly on form I can’t sit here and say he doesn’t deserve to be in,” Southgate explained. “We, John McDermott and I, had a call from Edu (Arsenal sporting director) last week (and he) said Ben didn’t want to be considered for England squads at this time.

“For me that is a great shame. He is a player we took to the Euros, a player we took to the World Cup and I spoke to him post-Qatar because I wanted to pick him. He is not available to us and there is no issue between us at all and I also should say there is never any issue with (coach) Steve Holland because that has been mentioned in articles and I don’t like that.

“I want that door wide open. He would be in this squad but he’s not available to us and I have to focus on who can help us.”

Kalvin Phillips has been dropped after a torrid run of form since he joined West Ham on loan in January.

The midfielder was at fault for a goal on his debut against Bournemouth before he was sent off at Nottingham Forest last month and hooked at half-time of Sunday’s 2-2 draw at home to Burnley.

England manager Gareth Southgate said: “Well, I think he knows exactly what we think of him. A good version of him is an important player for us and that’s why we’ve supported him as we have. Unfortunately his form hasn’t been good enough and I’ve spoken to him about that. He understands.

“He has all the attributes to force his way back in. He just needs to find that rhythm and confidence because there is an outstanding player in there.”

There will only be 23 players named in the final squad for the Euros, so at least two of those picked today will be cut when the group is announced in May.

Then there are the injured players who may return – Jack Grealish, Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Marc Guehi, potentially Reece James and Luke Shaw...

So Joe Gomez, who won the last of his 11 senior caps in October 2020, has returned from the international wilderness for March’s Wembley friendlies against Belgium and Brazil.

Ivan Toney is back involved at the first opportunity after serving an eight-month Football Association betting ban, but Raheem Sterling is conspicuous by his absence once again.

Jarrad Branthwaite and Anthony Gordon have received their first England call-ups but there is no place for Kalvin Phillips in Gareth Southgate’s last squad before making his Euro 2024 selection.

Here is the England squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.

Goalkeepers: Pickford, Ramsdale, Johnstone.

Defenders: Branthwaite, Chilwell, Dunk, Gomez, Konsa, Maguire, Stones, Walker.

Midfielders: Rice, Henderson, Gallagher, Maddison, Bellingham.

Forwards: Bowen, Foden, Gordon, Kane, Palmer, Rashford, Saka, Toney, Watkins.

Just a few more minutes...

Saturday 23 March

England vs Brazil - 7pm, Wembley

Tuesday 26 March

England vs Belgium, 7:45pm, Wembley

But there are now only two friendlies left for players to impress the manager before he decides on his final 23 players.

England can look forward to glamour exhibition matches against Brazil and Belgium later this month – with Southgate due to name his squad for those contests later this week – but the fierce competition for places will mean form in the Premier League and around Europe will be crucial for the rest of the campaign.

Here is a closer look at who is heading to the Euros, and who might miss out.

Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are in, James Maddison and Conor Gallagher look close, as does Trent Alexander-Arnold when he returns from injury.

Curtis Jones was pushing for a first call-up before he was injured last month, while his Liverpool team-mate Harvey Elliott has impressed for the Reds and has captained the Under-21s.

Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are enjoying good seasons at Luton and Milan respectively and are former England internationals, but James Ward-Prowse has been used by Southgate before but doesn’t appear to be in contention any more.

The Manchester United midfielder had yet to start a Premier League game the last time the England squad met up. but the 18-year-old has joined the conversation thanks to his excellent performances in recent weeks.

Mainoo has shone in a United team that has been hit by injuries and is often involved in frantic, end-to-end games. He has been one of the few to show composure, and an England call-up looks sure to happen at some point.

The Euros might be a bit soon, however, but Southgate has been keeping an eye on Mainoo’s progression.